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Final Compensatory Mitigation and Monitoring Plan—Version 2.0 <br />Climax Mine Overburden Storage Facility Expansion (SPK-2013-00045) <br />March 2017 Bikis Water Consultants, a division of SGM Page 23 <br />impacted by expansion of the OSF. The purpose of the monitoring is to ensure no secondary <br />impacts to the fens, such as from lowering of groundwater levels and associated changes in <br />vegetation composition. These secondary impacts could occur from the OSF expansion site <br />preparation activities that include reclamation soil salvage and construction of water controls. <br />The monitoring period will therefore focus on establishing baseline (pre-site preparation), site <br />preparation construction phase, and a two-year period following site preparation. This will <br />equate to an approximate eight-year monitoring period. <br />The fen monitoring plan is shown on Figure 9. The following will be used to characterize and <br />monitor the fens: <br />Piezometers. Six piezometers will be placed at the locations shown on Figure 9 to <br />monitor shallow groundwater adjacent to the fens. The piezometers will consist of <br />slotted, drive-point pipes to a depth of approximately 4 feet below the ground surface. <br />The depth to groundwater in the piezometers will initially be measured monthly from <br />June through October, weather and access permitting, for the first two years after permit <br />issuance. This will establish baseline conditions, after which monitoring may be <br />decreased to bi-monthly, weather and access permitting. <br />Fixed vegetation plots. One-square meter vegetation plots will be constructed to enable <br />measurement of species composition in the fens. Visual estimates of percent <br />composition are facilitated by the fact that each square-foot in the plot equals <br />approximately 10 percent of the area. <br />Vegetation will be recorded in the fixed plots one time each year during the peak of the <br />growing season during the monitoring period. <br />Vegetation transects. 100-foot transects will be established using fence posts to provide <br />another measure of plant composition of the fens. The species present, or bare ground, <br />water, or litter, will be recorded at one-foot intervals along each transect. <br />Vegetation will be recorded along each transect one time each year during the peak of <br />the growing season during the monitoring period.